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A feud over the rights of out-of-province trainers to run satellite yards in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) continues despite a ruling made by Gold Circle that allows existing satellite yards to reapply for boxes with restrictions. Gold Circle revised their policy regarding satellite yards at the request of the KZN Trainers Association, as reported by David Thiselton in the Sunday Argus.
The measures will affect four existing satellite yards, those of Joey Ramsden, Mike Bass, Dean Kannemeyer and Alec Laird.
Glen Kotzen and Sean Tarry, due to the long period in which they have operated in KZN, are considered KZN-based trainers and won’t be affected.
Charles Laird has made KZN his home and Mike de Kock has been considered a KZN-based trainer by both Gold Circle himself for the past two or three seasons.
Yogas Govender wasn’t adjudicated on as he operates from a private yard and pays a fee to use the Summerveld training facilities.
Ramsden, Bass, Kannemeyer and Laird have been sent letters informing them of the cancellation of their existing leases and are required to vacate their stables on or before January 31 next year.
They will have the right to reapply for the stables, but this will be subject to three conditions in that they will be allowed a maximum of twenty boxes. They will not be allowed any maidens older than two years of age and they will not be allowed horses with nett merit ratings of less than 76.
Kannemeyer was aggrieved by the restrictions. “I haven’t seen the new terms of the lease, but the whole episode has left a bitter taste in my mouth. The Cape trainers have owners based in all of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, who have invested in the thoroughbred gene pool. To then be told they can’t race their horses in KZN is very disappointing. It is promoting mediocrity and protecting KZN’s bad horses. It should be free enterprise. Statements were made at various meetings that some KZN trainers couldn’t compete during the peak season. In any sport if you don’t make the cut, you try a new tournament. They should be pro-active and campaign in other provinces during the peak season. The Sales are an auction and if you can’t buy top horses, you have to go out and find clients that will make it possible to do so. Kannemeyer Racing has been supporting KZN racing since 1973 without fail and I think it’s a poor show. It’s expensive for an owner to return a horse to Cape Town that has dropped below a 76 merit rating. I’m not going to take it lying down. In the Cape we open our arms to any horses. The bigger the fields, the bigger the turnover. KZN is one of the best places in the world to race, I love it there, and hopefully this situation will be rectified.”
Joey Ramsden was scathing of the ruling. “My attorneys have contacted Gold Circle and their attorneys on numerous occasions and I wish they would reply. They must communicate by carrier pigeon when it comes to responding. I find it remarkable that they are able to deem who is suitable to have an unrestricted satellite yard and who is not. I will also be interested in how they are planning the movement of my staff, who have family and children in Kwazulu-Natal. I also find it remarkable that they are incapable of filling fields that they wish to ban trainers from running in. One minute they want runners, next minute they don’t. It must be the only business in the world that doesn’t want business. I am also amazed by how failed trainers are allowed to wag the tail of the dog rather than the dog wagging it.”
Ramsden asked that his business be compared to others. He asked “When Gold Circle Chairman Robert Mauvis makes his famous curry at his restaurant in Umhlanga Rocks and there is a remarkably similar one made in the Pakistani restaurant next door, how come he doesn’t appear to have a problem with this?”
However, Mauvis pointed out that as far as he was concerned, the measures were a short to medium term solution of a year to eighteen months in order to enable KZN trainers time to “get their houses in order.”
“The bottom line is we want KZN to be the best racing province in the country.”
Mike Bass hasn’t officially been informed of the new measures, but said, “What I’ve heard appears to be a backward step. Why they would allow their trainers to protect mediocrity is beyond me.”
Dennis Drier, the top established yard in KZN had a different point of view. “It’s tough for the smaller yards, but you can’t go through life without competition. I am against doing away with satellite yards completely, but am happy with the restrictions. We don’t want to become a dumping province for bad horses.”
Herman Brown also supported the restrictions. “There is an imbalance between the number of horses in the province and the number of races. If Gold Circle were able to put on more races it would be fine, but if there are over 2000 horses competing to get into the limited number of races per week, what is the point of owning a horse? The local owners and trainers have to be protected to a certain extent to allow their horses to race.”
Craig Eudey clarified some of the reasons behind the ruling.
“We are not against satellite yards bringing their better horses, but why do we need more maidens when there are already as many as 130 to 140 nominations for maiden races? Furthermore, the KZN yards generally have local owners who have been supporting KZN racing through good and bad times for many years and their horses were being eliminated from races by Cape horses, whose owners could even be overseas based.”
Eudey also pointed out that provision had been made for expansion of KZN yards. “If a KZN trainer did find a new client who offered to buy him horses, there was no place to put these horses. Therefore, the decision was made to keep sixty boxes free.” He added, “Glen Kotzen and Sean Tarry answered the call some years back with KZN racing needed more numbers. Eudey also pointed out that boxes in other provinces were hard to come by, meaning KZN owners had to be looked after first in their home province.
(Extracted from Sunday Argus 16 December 2012)
